Repeating Innocence
by LadyNightwing135
Summary: 25 year old Taylor Lucas has had it with Gotham. Shes on her way to becoming a successful chef and finally able to start a new life. One not involving her past. Growing up, everyone thought her and her best friend Jack Napier were inseparable. But after a heart wrenching incident, she hasn't had contact with him in 3 years. Losing every trace of her once BFF. Until now. JokerxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys so this is my first Batman fanfic (but I've been reading for a loooonngg time) and I would really appreciate it if you gave me feedback about continuing the story or how you feel about it! Yes, I am now realizing how short this came out to be, but it defiantly took up 2 full pages of notebook paper :p Sooo, I will be conjoining chapters from now on :) Trust me, it will probably never be this short again.**

**But thankyou for reading! Please follow/review, it's going to be a fun ride :)**

"Are you excited?" asked one of the hosts leaning onto his podium. "I'm so nervous. What if I'm not good enough?" She replied running her finger through her light brown long hair, something she did often without realizing it. "Don't even think like that, you know you deserve this. Besides, it's not every day a 5 star chef wants to hire a 25 year-old from Gotham." the host said, winking at her. And it was true, this was a rare offer. Only 3 people were picked out of the nation to work under the infamous Chef Rodney. He was a world famous chef, known for his many shows on the food network and his award winning restaurants. He was opening a new restaurant in New Jersey and hired only the most qualified to work for him in the kitchen.

After 3 different cooking tests and competitions with 12 competitors, Chef Rodney chose 3. A 40 year-old man from Seattle, a 32 year-old man from Chicago, and 25 year-old Taylor Lucas from Gotham. Taylor Lucas still felt unqualified, even after winning many awards and being known as Gotham's finest gourmet chef. But why wouldn't she? The other finalists were even more well known than her and even appeared on a couple talk shows and magazines.

* * *

After work at _Rosemary's, _one of the best restaurants in Gotham, the owners and staff stayed after to have a congratulatory drink with Taylor. It was very flattering and bittersweet, because they were saying goodbye to not only their executive chef, but their coworker and friend. The whole night was spent with drinks, funny stories, and things they would miss about having her around. It was around 10 p.m. and Taylor had 2 glasses of wine and a shot, then decided to go home. She said goodbye after receiving a couple hugs and pats on the back. She called a cab and on the ride home, thought about how exciting her new life in New Jersey was going to be.

* * *

Her loft was nothing too impressive, but still very nice. She was comfortably middle class and had enough money to live off of, with the occasional splurge.

She threw her coat on the railing by the stairs after walking into her loft. Then, while walking into the livingroom, grabbed her favorite fuzzy purple blanket and collapsed on the couch, face first. After letting out a sigh, she turned on the TV to the local news.

"Authorities have released a statement about the recent robbery held at the Gotham Bank today by the Joker." a middle-aged woman with bright blonde hair reported on the screen.

_Oh great._

"10 were shot and are currently being taken care of in the ER. Unfortunately 2 bank tellers were shot and killed. Our hearts go out to their families." said a stressed cop on the screen. The picture then changed to photos of the people who were killed. A man that looked to be in his early twenties and a woman about 50.

_What did they ever do to deserve that? That poor guy probably didn't even get a chance..._

Taylor then switched off the TV, deciding not to dwell over it. She always had a sensitive place in her heart, which wasn't always a good thing. It was very easy for her to be vulnerable to those kinds of things. But her trust in people was always on guard ever since the incident.

Walking over to the kitchen, wrapped in a purple burrito, she went to grab a glass of water. What she saw next made her jaw drop and knees go weak.

_**'Congrats Tay!'**_

It was a purple card with stars decorating the front of it. No one called her Tay. Not since she was in college. And even then, it was only one person. Not since then she let anyone call her _Tay_.

With shaky hands, she opened the card.

_**'I've been watching you.'**_

_Who wrote this? How did it get into my home? WHO is watching me?_

She had never been more terrified. For someone to have put the card there, they must have known where she lived. And how to get into her home.

She grabbed her gray cardigan and threw it over her pink bum shorts and black tank top while running out the door and out of the building. Not bothering to make eye contact. She needed to think.

Walking down the street of small shops and through the park, lost in her own mind, she considered wether or not she left a door or window open._ The door? No, I remember double checking it before work this morning. Windows? No way. It's still spring and chilly outside. _Taylor had always been prone to getting cold easily, even when it was 60 degrees out. _What does the card mean? _It defiantly wasn't ment to congratulate her. They put it there to instill fear. _Will they follow me to New Jersey? _While contemplating calling the cops, she looked up and realized she walked all the way to the Narrows. Even worse, **an alleyway in the Narrows.** She had to get out of there, now.

But how? She had no clue where she was. Suddenly, she was shoved up against a brick wall with a knife resting on her neck. "Hey there beautiful, looking for me?"

She was then turned around and the man placed a hand over her mouth before she could scream. From what she could see through the shadows, he was pale and had a scar where his neck met his left collarbone. It didn't look very recent and was about 2 inches long. She looked back up into what she thought to be his eyes. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears.

"Cause I've been watching you."

Taylor let out a whimper as her tears began to fall.

_This must've been the man who put the card in my loft. This is how I'm going to die..._

**Remember to review! Also, a thing I want to start doing is giving a _visua_****_l_****_ aid _thing for you to look at at the end of some chapters. Cause I know it's hard for me to picture what a character is wearing or how a scene looks like. So here you go, Taylors Lazy day outfit: polyvore cgi/set?id=82366024 **

**(minus the spaces)**


	2. Chapter 2

The dark haired man shoved Taylor down and started kicking her in the ribs, back, and stomach. Each crushing blow made her arch in agony. She was crying and screaming at him to stop. Couldn't anyone hear her cries? This man had no mercy.

After she was covered in welts, bruises, and blood; he leaned down to her with his knife. She glared defiantly into what she assumed to be his eyes as he began to stab her. Cutting gashes into her stomach and arms, he laughed at her cries for help.

_This is it. I'm not going to be able to move to Jersey, or get married, or have children. All my hard work is wasted._

"Wish I could watch you as you take your last breaths," said the man breathlessly, as police sirens were heard in the background "but I must be going."

She gave out another groan in pain and anger.

"Bye beautiful." he said as he ran out of the alley.

The last thing she caught a glimpse of was something resembling a clown in his back pocket, then she blacked out.

* * *

**Hello lovelies! Here's chapter 2 for ya. It's literally like 2 in the morning and I was determined to post at least 1 chapter today, so this is shorter than what I intended. But I promise chapter 3 will be up soon :)**

**Please remember to follow/favorite/review, I appreciate it!**

**PS. This one is mostly in Taylors POV**

I awoke in a hospital with a deep pain in my stomach. I was recalling the events of last night before a nurse walked in. She was carrying a clipboard and looked to be in her 50's with frizzy red hair tied up into a small bun. Her glasses sat on the tip of her nose as she looked absent-mindlessly at the clipboard.

"Taylor Elizabeth Lucas?" she questioned, eyes still on the clipboard.

"Yes ma'am?"

"It looks like you got yourself into a little trouble last night, you were attacked in an alley."

Suddenly all the memories of last night came rushing back to me.

The man.

The scar.

The kicking.

The knife.

**The card.**

"Yeah" I simply said, looking down at my stitched and bruised arm hooked into an IV.

"Fortunately, you don't have any internal bleeding or problems, other than a couple bruised ribs. We already went ahead and stitched up a couple gashes on your arms and one on your stomach." she said writing something down on the clipboard.

"Does that mean I can leave?"

"Not quite yet, Dr. Mckinnley will come in soon and write you a prescription for some pain medication and antibiotics." She said looking up, giving me a small smile.

After that she walked back out and I was alone again. I'm lucky to be alive. That man was trying to kill me. Was he the one who put the card in my loft? Of course. He knows where I live. He's been watching me.

For godsakes,** He's trying to kill me.**

I need to leave. Immediately. Before he gets the chance to strike again, I need to go to Jersey.

The doctor came in, wrote me a prescription, and left. People in this hospital really didn't have any personalities.

I left the hospital with a migraine and a few stitched. Not to bad for a near death experience.

* * *

When I got back home, started packing right away. I already had most of my stuff in boxes in the livingroom. All that was left was my old belongings in my closet, I walked over to my bedroom, looking at the once colorful and personalized room; now it was dull and nothing more than 4 white walls and a wood floor. I was proud of this loft, but I didn't have room for everything in my new apartment. It was a step down from what I had now. I couldn't afford any of the lofts near my job, they were by the jersey shore and millions of dollars. I may have been a kickass chef, but that didn't mean I got a kickass paycheck. I had 3 weeks until the big day and my first month payment is supposed to start next week. I still had yet to call and reschedule.

I opened my closet to reveal boxes of old photographs, yearbooks, and unwanted christmas gifts. I hesitated before deciding to look through the memories. I had a happy and normal childhood. That was what made it so hard. To look back on what my life once was, before the storm.

I picked up a cheap makeup kit my parents gave me when I was 13. It had gaudy and bright colored eyeshadows. _Why didn't I throw this out years ago? _I put in in the "throw away" pile and continued on.

Next was a picture of me on my high school graduation day. It was pretty simple as I threw a wide smile at the camera in my red cap and gown. I was standing with a couple girlfriends who I can't even remember the names of now.

And then there was **the box. **

It was the box I put back there years ago hoping I would forget about it. But I never could bring myself to just completely get rid of it. You just don't throw away memories like that.

I took off the dusty cardboard box lid entitled 'Jack', coughing as I accidentality inhaled the dust.

Inside was a couple photo albums, mix taped, random items, and the charm bracelet. He probably thought I got rid of it after what happened. I wondered if he still had his. The bracelet had many charms that probably wouldn't make sense to anyone else: a crown, a butterfly, a soccer ball, a backstreet boys charm, an Eifel tower, and a heart that read '_J & T forever'_

I touched the crown charm and studied it closely. I had small rhinestones on the points of he crown and looked very dim and worn down. It made me think back to why he first gave the bracelet to me.

* * *

_"Close your eyes," ordered the 15 year-old Jack Napier with a smirk on his face._

_"Why? Are you going to ditch me again?" asked the 14 year-old Taylor Lucas as she gave him an accusing look._

_"That was one time!" he said, furrowing his eyebrows_

_"Twice. Once at the park when Tina Bartlet was walking her dog and twice when you had a headache at the Papa Roach concert." she stated, folding her arms._

_"My ears were ringing! I'm sorry, just... Trust me" he said while giving her a bear hug._

_"Okay. I'm watching you" she said while shutting her eyes tight._

_"Now hold your right hand out." he said with a nervous tone in his voice._

_She did as she was told. Suddenly, she felt a cool metal chain being clasped around her wrist. She opened her eyes and looked at the bracelet with a shocked expression._

_"Jack, no way!" she said looking at the charm bracelet in amazement._

_"Yes way!" He replied, looking at her with a big smile._

_She attacked him with a hug and he lifted her up and setting her back down on the dirt playing ground on the abandoned baseball field they liked to meet up at._

_"This is so lovely. What does the crown mean?" she asked, going back to admiring the lone charm on the bracelet._

_"It's supposed to remind you that you're a princess. Like all those times you forced me to play princesses with you when we were toddlers." he said watching her as she admired it._

_"You wanted to be a princess! I offered you to be the prince!" she said looking up at him with playful accusation. _

_"But that's not what we tell everyone at school" he said in a whisper._

_"Of course." She laughed while going back in for a hug._

_"I'll race ya home." He said after messing up the top of her hair, then darting off._

_"Cheater!" She yelled after him, following his path._

* * *

I smiled a small smile then shoved the bracelet into my pocket. After packing up the box I put it in the livingroom with the rest of them. I could always look back into it later.

My neighbor, Julie, came over and helped me bring the rest of the boxes down to my car.

**Fav & review :)**


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